Adjusting Jibs

[Zakota]

 

Curious as to what the devs think of this  idea - Since the 'Q' and 'E' keys have no function aboard yachts and cutters, I think it would be a great feature if we were able to adjust the trim of our headsails (jibs) manually, by using them.

This would allow for when I'm caught in irons to sheet in the headsails to windward and drive my head off the wind and onto the other tack, and could offer some great battle manoeuvres like larger ships get with box-hauling & backing astern.

I was able to accomplish something similar to this when tacking the Lynx by backing the driver on the foremast, which it completed very quickly and paid me off onto the other tack to deliver a raking broadside (I was very pleased). 

I just think this would be a great feature since the keys aren't being used for anything else anyway on fore-and-aft riggers, and at the same time it seems that single-masters are the only ones that would really benefit from it, as they have no way of backing any other sails to throw them off the wind (like the square riggers get with the ability to back their foresail), and there would be no need to assign new keys since they're already not in use on small vessels.

 

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

Multi-masted "ships" such as the Cutter use those keys for the main mast boom, with the other keys for the mizzen mast boom.

[maturin]

Eh? The cutter and yacht don't have a mizzen.

Anyhow, the OP's idea is a no-brainer, and the requiring animation update has many bonuses for square rigged ships as well.

[eXnihilo]

I'd like the F keys to select what sails to trim/adjust. Like the gun decks are. You could toggle control of them on and off.

 

I'd REALLY like to see reefing of main sails, but I imagine this is all too much for the scope of the game.

 

I look forward to the improved fore and aft sailing characteristics that are coming up.

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

I knew the Yacht didn't, for some reason I thought the Cutter had two masts.    Must have been the Lynx I was thinking of.

[Thomas Cochrane]

For the fore and aft rigged ships especially it would be very useful to be able to set the jib on the wrong side. 

 

To explain: Imagine if you are going to tack. When you pass through the wind the jib sets on the new tack (the other side). At the moment that happen automatically

 

If you kept the jib tied to the opposite tack then the main sail and the jib would be on opposite sides. This is called being hove to and its a very quick way to stop. It is, in fact, the only way to stop a vessel with sails (otherwise you would have to anchor or tie to something).

 

It used for the following: to  avoid collision, man overboard, to perform surgery (see the Maturin Aubery books), to wait out a storm, to fire more accurately, to take sightings. 

 

Would it be possible/desirable to add an option for which side the jib is set on to the manual sail options? 

[maturin]

Good idea, I don't think anyone's proposed it yet. This would probably require a special key.

 

Plus new animations, but there are tons of things that should happen with headsails that require new animations. If they ever take the plunge, this should be on the list.

 

Also, have you noticed that jibsheets stay the same on different tacks? On a port tack, you keep using the port jib sheet.

[Thomas Cochrane]

Good idea, I don't think anyone's proposed it yet. This would probably require a special key.

 

Plus new animations, but there are tons of things that should happen with headsails that require new animations. If they ever take the plunge, this should be on the list.

 

Also, have you noticed that jibsheets stay the same on different tacks? On a port tack, you keep using the port jib sheet.

 

No I hadn't noticed that... 

[Brigand]

"You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day."

~Brigand